Criminal Mischief: Episode #28: The MacGuffin

LISTEN: https://soundcloud.com/authorsontheair/criminal-mischief-episode-28-the-macguffin

SHOW NOTES:

What is a MacGuffin? Since Alfred Hitchcock coined the term, his definition—such as it is—might be best:

“The main thing I’ve learned over the years is that the MacGuffin is nothing. I’m convinced of this, but I find it difficult to prove it to others.”

The Maltese Falcon--Arguably the Most famous MacGuffin

FAMOUS MACGUFFINS:

OBJECTS:

The Military Secrets in THE 39 STEPS

The Maltese Falcon in THE MALTESE FALCON

The Microfilm in NORTH BY NORTHWEST

The briefcase in PULP FICTION

The Letters of Transit in CASABLANCA

The Ring in the LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy

The Death Star Plans in STAR WARS

The Holy Grail in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and in the DIVINCI CODE

The Arc of the Covenant in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

The Genesis Device in STAR TREK2: THE WRATH OF KHAN

PEOPLE/CREATURES:

Colonel Kurtz in APOCALYPSE NOW

Private Ryan in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

The shark in JAWS

Doug the groom in THE HANGOVER

LeeLoo in the FIFTH ELEMENT

John Conner in THE TERMINATOR series

PLACES:

The Big “W” in IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD

MYSTERY:

Rosebud in CITIZEN KANE

Suspected murder in REAR WINDOW

LINKS:

Strand Magazine: The Care and Feeding of a MacGuffin:

DP Lyle